1939 in Canada
Years in Canada: | 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 |
Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
Decades: | 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s |
Years: | 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 |
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History of Canada |
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Historically significant |
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By Provinces and Territories |
See also |
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Events from the year 1939 in Canada.
Incumbents
Federal government
Lieutenant governors
- Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – John C. Bowen
- Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia – Eric Hamber
- Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba – William Johnston Tupper
- Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick – Murray MacLaren
- Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia – Robert Irwin
- Lieutenant Governor of Ontario – Albert Edward Matthews
- Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island – George DesBrisay DeBlois (until September 11) then Bradford William LePage
- Lieutenant Governor of Quebec – Esioff-Léon Patenaude (until December 30) then Eugène Fiset
- Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan – Archibald Peter McNab
Premiers
- Premier of Alberta – William Aberhart
- Premier of British Columbia – Thomas Dufferin Pattullo
- Premier of Manitoba – John Bracken
- Premier of New Brunswick – Allison Dysart
- Premier of Nova Scotia – Angus Lewis Macdonald
- Premier of Ontario – Mitchell Hepburn
- Premier of Prince Edward Island – Thane Campbell
- Premier of Quebec – Maurice Duplessis (until November 9) then Adélard Godbout
- Premier of Saskatchewan – William John Patterson
Events
- May 17 – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth begin their royal tour of Canada, eventually visiting every province.
- September 3 – The Department of Labour establishes the Wartime Prices and Trade Board to control inflation
- September 7 – Prime Minister Mackenzie King calls for a special session of Parliament, to discuss a declaration of war versus Nazi Germany. The session lasts until September 13.[2]
- September 10 – World War II: Canada declares war on Germany, one week after the United Kingdom does so
- September 11 – World War II: Canada establishes a High Commission of Canada in Canberra, Australia. Australia reciprocates the next day.[3]
- September 16 – World War II: The Royal Canadian Navy escorts the first of many transatlantic convoys
- September 28 – World War II: Air training facilities are set up in Canada to train pilots from Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth.
- October 25 – The Quebec election is won by the Liberals under Joseph-Adélard Godbout.
- December 17 – World War II: The 1st Canadian Infantry Division lands in Scotland en route to England. The division is accompanied by a team of announcers and technicians, who set up Radio Canada's overseas service.
- November 9 – Adélard Godbout becomes premier of Quebec for the second time, replacing Maurice Duplessis
Year-long events
- Canada rapidly expands its international presence by establishing High Commissions in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.
Sport
- April 16 - Boston Bruins won their Second Stanley Cup (and last until 1970) by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4 games to 1.
- April 17 - Ontario Hockey Association's Oshawa Generals won their First Memorial Cup by defeating the Edmonton Junior Hockey League's Edmonton Athletic Club Roamers 3 games to 1. The deciding Game 4 was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
- December 9 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers win their Second Grey Cup by defeating the Ottawa Rough Riders 8 to 7 in the 27th Grey Cup played in Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.
Births
January to March
- January 3 - Bobby Hull, ice hockey player
- January 11 - Anne Heggtveit, alpine skier and Olympic gold medalist

- January 14 - Martha Gibson, actress
- January 19 - Grant Notley, politician (d.1984)
- February 3 - Ovid Jackson, politician
- February 10 - Adrienne Clarkson, journalist and 26th Governor General of Canada
- March 1 - Marlene Catterall, politician
- March 17 - Bill Graham, politician
- March 20 - Brian Mulroney, politician and 18th Prime Minister of Canada
- March 26 - Patrick Lane, poet
April to June

- April 14 - Ian Binnie, jurist and puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada
- April 20 - Wayson Choy, writer
- April 24 - Dan Hays, politician
- April 24 - Ernst Zündel, neo-Nazi, Holocaust denier and pamphleteer
- May 7 - Sidney Altman, molecular biologist, joint 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate
- May 11 - Ken Epp, politician
- May 26 - Gerry McAlpine, politician
- June 5 - Joe Clark, journalist, politician, statesman, businessman, professor and 16th Prime Minister of Canada
- June 23 - Jack MacIsaac, Canadian politician
July to September
- July 12 - David Bazay, television journalist (d.2005)
- July 19 - Ray Turnbull, Canadian curler (d. 2017)
- July 25 - Catherine Callbeck, politician and 30th Premier of Prince Edward Island
- August 12 - Roy Romanow, politician and 12th Premier of Saskatchewan
- August 15 - Hardial Bains, founder and leader of Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) (d.1997)
- August 21 - JoAnn Wilson, murder victim (d.1983)
- August 23 - Isabel Bassett, broadcaster and politician
- August 31 - Dennis Lee, poet and children's writer
- September 1 - Jake Epp, politician
- September 2 - Henry Mintzberg, academic and author on business and management
- September 4 - Jim Penner, businessman and politician (d.2004)
- September 30 - Len Cariou, actor
October to December
- November 6 - Joyce Fairbairn, Senator and first woman to serve as Leader of the Government in the Senate
- November 18 - Margaret Atwood, author, poet, critic, feminist and social campaigner
- November 23 - bill bissett, poet
- November 30 - Louis LeBel, jurist and puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada
- December 2 - Francis Fox, politician, Minister and Senator
- December 21 - Lloyd Axworthy, politician and Minister
- December 24 - James Bartleman, diplomat, author and 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Full date unknown
- Michael Estok, poet
- Michael Overs, businessman, founder and owner of Pizza Pizza Limited (d. 2010)
- Tony Parsons, journalist and television news anchor
- Robin Spry, filmmaker and television producer (d.2005)
Deaths
- January 24 - Alfred Edmond Bourgeois, politician (b.1872)
- March 7 - Joseph Flavelle, businessman (b.1858)
- March 8 - Henry Pellatt, financier and soldier (b.1859)
- May 6 - Edward S. Rogers, Sr., inventor and radio pioneer (b.1900)
- July 12 - Fernand Rinfret, politician (b.1883)
- August 21 - Francis Patrick O'Connor, businessman, politician and philanthropist (b. 1885)
- November 12 - Norman Bethune, physician and medical innovator (b.1890)
- November 28 - James Naismith, sports coach and innovator, inventor of basketball (b.1861)
- December 22 - Herbert James Palmer, politician and Premier of Prince Edward Island (b.1851)
See also
Historical Documents
Labour Day finds fighters and nurses enlisting for overseas service and Red Cross rushing its wartime planning [4]
Editorial says Canada and Commonwealth are "one and indivisible, [and] pledged unwaveringly to the support of the Mother Country" [5]
Before declaring war, PM King asks Commons for "authority for effective cooperation by Canada at the side of Britain" [6]
MP J.S. Woodsworth interrogates "cooperation," unspoken government policy, and whether Canada is already in war [7]
"We cannot be at peace while the head of this Empire is at war" - Sen. Arthur Meighen insists Canada enter European conflict [8]
Canada's declaration of war against German Reich [9]
Editorial says PM King, in choosing home defence over expeditionary force, is not giving "definite leadership" [10]
Regimen for Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry's transport ship includes lectures, training and organized games [11]
Enlisted man's 1939 surprises: Poland's fall weeks after invasion, and Christmas invitation given on his first day in England [12]
Editorial says "equality of sacrifice," essential to war effort, must include fairness in agricultural costs, prices and margins [13]
MP A.A. Heaps advocates joining other countries in welcoming refugees from persecution [14]
Supreme Court finds tavern, in absence of specific law, has "freedom of commerce" to not serve Black man [15]
Law professor comments on Quebec's Padlock Law allowing police to seal premises and arrest occupants deemed "communistic" [16]
Private intelligence agency offers to spy on corporation's workers to detect "plots, plans and unrest" [17]
Mao's appreciation of Norman Bethune - "We must all learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him" [18]
Woman records her excitement over 1939 royal tour of George VI and Elizabeth in her diary [19]
Film of royal tour's stops in Calgary, Banff, Vancouver and Victoria [20]
CBC chairman tells House committee move into television will not come soon because of its current technical and financial limitations[21]
Course in interior decoration includes hands-on stitching, glazing, block-printing, weaving, lettering, etc., etc. [22]
Calling "more friendly relations" essential to world progress, bank's advertisement pledges friendship in its service [23]
References
- "John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland". www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- "House of Commons Procedure and Practice – 8. The Parliamentary Cycle – Opening a Parliament and a Session". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- "Australia-Canada relations" (PDF). Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- "Holiday Finds Canada Making Ready for War," Sherbrooke (Quebec) Daily Record (September 4, 1939), pg. 3. Accessed 22 June 2020 http://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3000671 (turn to pg. 3)
- "The Empire at War," The Charlottetown Guardian (September 4, 1939), pg. 4. Accessed 22 June 2020 https://islandnewspapers.ca/islandora/object/guardian%3A19390904-004
- "Governor General's Speech; Address in Reply[...]" (September 8, 1939), House of Commons Debates, 18th Parliament, 5th Session: Vol. 1, pg. 30. Accessed 20 June 2020 http://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC1805_20/41?r=0&s=1
- "Governor General's Speech; Address in Reply[...]" (September 8, 1939), House of Commons Debates, 18th Parliament, 5th Session: Vol. 1, pgs. 41-3. Accessed 21 June 2020 http://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC1805_20/52?r=0&s=1
- "The Governor General's Speech; Address in Reply" (September 9, 1939), Senate Debates, 18th Parliament, 5th Session: Vol. 1, pgs. 8-11. Accessed 20 June 2020 http://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_SOC1805_01/19?r=0&s=1
- "Proclamation," The Canada Gazette (September 10, 1939). Accessed 23 June 2020 https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/canada-gazette/001060-119.01-e.php?image_id_nbr=300981&document_id_nbr=8324&f=g Also published by Canadian Press https://collections.warmuseum.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5037769
- "Canada Enters the Struggle," Sherbrooke (Quebec) Daily Record (September 11, 1939), pg. 4. Accessed 23 June 2020 http://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3000690 (turn to pg. 4)
- Lieut. Col. W.G. Colquhoun, "Ship's Standing Orders;[...]S.S. Orama" (December 1939). Accessed 23 June 2020 https://archives.ppcli.com/74-1-1-ships-standing-orders (click on document for PDF copy)
- "Veteran Stories: Fernand Trépanier, Army," The Memory Project. Accessed 23 June 2020 http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/980:fernand-trepanier/
- "With All Our Resources," The Western Farm Leader, Vol. 4, No. 18 (Calgary, September 15, 1939), pg. 4. Accessed 22 June 2020 http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/WFL/1939/09/15/4/
- "Governor General's Speech; Continuation of Debate on Address in Reply" (January 30, 1939), House of Commons debates, 18th Parliament, 4th Session: Vol. 1, pgs. 432-6. Accessed 21 June 2020 http://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC1804_01/434?r=0&s=2
- Christie v. The York Corporation, Supreme Court Judgments (1939-12-09). Accessed 20 June 2020 https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/8489/index.do
- John T.[sic] Humphrey, "Homes are Not Castles" (truncated), The Canadian Magazine (March 1939). Accessed 23 June 2020 http://www.archives.mcgill.ca/public/exhibits/humphrey/EarlyLife/big/writing_1939.html
- Letter from General Investigations of Canada Limited (March 29, 1939). Accessed 23 June 2020 https://projects.windsorpubliclibrary.com/digi/sar/part2.htm (scroll down to Solicitation)
- Mao Tse-tung, "In Memory of Norman Bethune" (December 21, 1939), Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung: Vol. II; The Period of the War of Resistance Against Japan. Accessed 23 June 2020 http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-2/mswv2_25.htm
- Diary of Vera (Collins) Webb (excerpts of May 17 and 26, 1939). Accessed 23 June 2020 https://archivesalberta.org/diary/royal.htm (click on illustrations to read excerpts)
- British Pathé, "The Royal Tour of Western Canada." Accessed 10 May 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4gGf6UFino
- Testimony of Leonard Brockington (March 2, 1939), Special Committee on Radio Broadcasting, pgs. 17-19. Accessed 28 October 2020 https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.com_HOC_1804_7_1/43?r=0&s=1
- "Design; Fourth Year," Behind the Palette; Vancouver School of Art; March - Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-nine (unpaginated). Accessed 23 June 2020 https://ecuad.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/ecuad%3A9024/issue_pages?page=1 (click on image 020)
- The Bank of Toronto, "Friendly Relations," The Western Farm Leader, Vol. 4, No. 18 (Calgary, September 15, 1939), pg. 2. Accessed 22 June 2020 http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/WFL/1939/09/15/2/
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